Part Twelve:
 

Rating: PG
 

The first thing Quinn taught her was how to kick someone's ass without any weapons.

Not that she was ever to go out unarmed, he told her, but just in case. Arianna was in pretty good shape to begin with, and over the next month Quinn made her work her body to the limit. Arianna could do push-ups as well as any boy, and she could beat up any normal human teenager. Those three years of tae kwon do she'd taken were extremely helpful. So were the four years of gymnastics competitions. Arianna was suddenly grateful to her mother for making her spend almost every afternoon when she was younger at some sort of class. She was still trying to find a use for those piano lessons, however.

Quinn taught her how to shoot any kind of gun, and she had perfect aim by the time he was finished. He showed her how to fight with knives, and let her practice on him, as long as there was no wood on the blade or handle.

When it came time for Ash to return to Maine, he no longer worried about Arianna surviving in the Night World. She had her own personal set of weaponry, which she used expertly. She was strong enough so that when she punched him, it hurt, and when she was punched, she didn't fall down. The only problem was that her psychic powers seemed to be dormant, because she couldn't mentally blast people anymore. It only worked when she was in a state of panic, like when Quinn was training her in the use of a pistol and he shot a bullet three-quarters of an inch away from her ear. Quinn was on the floor the second the bullet hit the wall behind her. Arianna didn't even remember shocking him. She claimed he was making it up, but Quinn insisted that the pain in his head was very real. Ash concluded that her mental attacks were a reflex, which she should learn to control. Arianna agreed, and told him that if he knew how to go about doing so, would he please enlighten her, and if not, would he shut up and leave her alone. Ash stayed quiet after that and left the training up to Quinn.

At the boarding gate of Ash's plane, Arianna realized how much she would miss him. They sat on plastic orange chairs and held hands. Quinn stood nearby talking to a young female lamia who was also waiting to board.

"I'm gonna miss you, you know," Arianna told Ash.

"I'll miss you, too." Ash was staring at his Nikes. "I want you to come with me, but I know my father won't allow you to stay. And I can't stay here, even though I want to more than anything else. I just-"

I just can't stand the thought of leaving you, he finished mentally. Arianna guessed it was hard for him to say what he meant out loud, and he felt more comfortable just letting her hear his thoughts.

I want you to stay, she confessed. I know you can't, but still…

Ash sighed. "I know…" They sat in silence for a moment, and then Ash squeezed her fingers. "Look at us, sitting here all depressed," he said. "I'm leaving! We should be partying up until they close the plane!"

Arianna stared at him. "You wanna go to a party now?"

"Not a real party," Ash explained, standing up and pulling her to her feet. He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "But we can have our own, if you catch my drift…"

"Oh, I see." Arianna smirked. "We'd have to find someplace secluded, though. And you have to get on the plane in fifteen minutes. But I think that's enough time for a party. Don't you?"

Ash toyed with a lock of her brown hair. "I like the way you think," he murmured. "But I like the way you do something else even more."

"Oh, do you?" Arianna put a finger to her chin. "I can't imagine what that would be."

"Can't you? Need me to refresh your memory? In, say, a closet?" Ash grinned as they started walking. They passed by Quinn. "We'll be back. Watch the bags," Ash commanded. The girl Quinn was hitting on glanced at Ash and did a double take. She looked back at Quinn. She seemed to have trouble deciding who was hotter. Arianna couldn't blame her. She hadn't determined it yet, either. They were both just so delicious-looking. Real pieces of eye candy. She looked up at Ash as they walked. His eyes were brown - the color of a Hershey's kiss. Speaking of which… Arianna bit her lip to keep from grinning in anticipation. They had to find a closet - quick.

The stewardess announced the last boarding call. Ash's luggage was already on board, except for the dark blue Jansport bookbag slung over his shoulder. At the moment it matched his eyes. He held Arianna's hand in his own.

"I'll call you as soon as I get in," he told her.

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Will you?" she asked. "Human guys never call when they say they're going to. I take it Night World guys are different from human guys in that way?"

"No, they're the same," Quinn told her. "But he knows you're staying with me. He'll call. He'd be scared not to." Ash glared at him.

Go away, he sent. Quinn shrugged and went to check out the selection at the soda machine.

Ash dug into his pocket and pulled out a black box. "Here," he said, somewhat awkwardly. "This is for you." He handed the box to Arianna.

She lifted the lid. Inside, on a cushion of white cotton, was a set of stud earrings in the shape of black irises. Ash had explained to her about the flowers of the Night World, and had given her a black dahlia necklace with a pentacle in the center. From what she remembered, the black iris was the symbol of lamia vampires.

"They're gorgeous," she breathed. "But I thought the iris-"

"It is for lamias," Ash cut in. "But it's my symbol. You see the leaves there? They're only for the Redferns. If you show it to someone who knows me, they'll know that you're telling the truth and they'll help you out. Look under the cotton. There's something else."

Arianna lifted the cotton pad and the earrings out of the box and stared. Lying inside was a silver ring. It was a simple band with intricate carvings around it. She picked it up. There was something written on the inside. She read it, and her eyes widened. Engraved on the inner band of the ring were the words "Ash and Ari '94."

"Ash," she gasped. "It's beautiful! Thank you!"

"That's also so you can prove you know me." Ash looked a bit embarrassed. "And so you don't…forget me."

"As if I could forget someone who looks as good as you!" Arianna grinned at him before throwing her arms around his neck. "Come back to me," she whispered in his ear.

"I will," he told her. "I promise." He released her and took the ring. He slipped it onto her finger. "And I will call."

The stewardess came over then, apologizing, but saying that they had to close the door and Ash needed to board. Then she left to pick up some papers from the desk. As soon as her back was turned, Ash grabbed Arianna and kissed her. The kiss was desperate, and they clung to each other tightly, knowing it would be a while before they would be together again. When Ash pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes. He studied her face. He didn't want to forget what she looked like while he was gone. That would just be too horrible. "Bye, Ari," he said, as he had
taken to calling her that over the past few weeks.

"Bye, Ash." He repeated her words over and over in his head. He didn't want to forget her voice, either. It was beautiful, just like everything else about her. Finally, he forced himself to release her when he saw the stewardess approaching them again. He turned and walked down the long hallway that led to the airplane. Arianna felt cold fingers touch her arm. She turned to see Quinn standing beside her. She turned her back on the door and heard it slam shut behind her. She followed Quinn out of the airport. Neither Ash nor Arianna ever looked back.